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National Register

National Park Service

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources.

The Norfolk & Western Railway Freight Station in Roanoke, Virginia, played a significant role in the industrial development of the city for nearly 100 years. Freight rail service to Roanoke (then known as Big Lick) commenced in 1852. In 1882, Roanoke became the most important junction point as well as corporate headquarters for the newly formed Norfolk & Western Railway, which became a major carrier of coal from mines in West Virginia and Virginia. Beginning in 1916, and completed in 1918, the Norfolk & Western Railway Freight Station was built to accommodate an ever-increasing amount of freight traffic the older depots were not designed for. The new two-story, fifty-bay-long Freight Station was built parallel to the railroad tracks. Today the Norfolk & Western Railway Freight Station serves as the Virginia Museum of Transportation.